


Mission: #00257 [Case Closed]

by HansoldMySoul



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: All ages are canon until the time skip, And very probably delusional, But I'll explain them all anyway, Enjoy!, Jaeno, Lots of terms that you guys probably don't care about, M/M, Slight Chensung, So don't hesitate to point out mistakes, Whoop written when I was sick, markhyuck, secret agent AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 10:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8052211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HansoldMySoul/pseuds/HansoldMySoul
Summary: The members of Special Forces Unit Dream learn that not every mission goes to plan and to always expect the unexpected.[Minimal Romance, Jaeno, Markhyuck & Chensung, Secret Agent au]





	Mission: #00257 [Case Closed]

A flash of a smile, too optimistic for the current situation.

Bright eyes, holding a promise that was bound to be broken.

Softly spoken words of assurance that, "Nothing will happen."

A wave goodbye which becomes a bitter final memory.

A bond that may have been severed but would never be broken.

•

"What on earth happened!?" Taeyong shouted, pulling Jeno who was still frozen in place, away from the wreckage that sprawled before them in a harrowing echo of the way the tide tended to destroy everything in its path when it peaked.

Shaking so hard that it took a moment to form words, Jeno recited the mission report in a hollow, robotic voice that created an illusion of detachment and coldness that didn't really exist. "Mission: #00257, status: successful. Target cited and removed from the premises. Possible casualties: 3." That was it, no detail, just the cold hard facts reported in the style that every new recruit was taught during their preliminary training. 

Several feet away, Yuta and Hansol had gathered the remaining members of Unit Dream to try and get a more in depth analysis of what had happened after the back up unit had lost contact with them and planned a secondary infiltration. 

"We lost contact with Jisung's mic a little after 1700 hours, Jaemin and Donghyuck broke off to investigate Block C because that was the last location we received a transmission from him. During the time we were split, we encountered the target who immediately attempted to engage in combat so we engaged in Tiger Formation, that being our best option as we were down 3 agents." Mark explained the events of the evening in clear, concise words that left no room for question. 

Renjun took over when it seemed as though Mark wasn't going to say any more. "Minimal wounds were sustained in combat, save for a few lacerations that were treated on site after the conclusion of combat. Further attempts to contact the agents from Block C were met with static interference and as we were about to go and investigate, we heard several small explosions." 

Hansol was checking Chenle over for injuries as the boy had yet to speak, listening attentively but showing no sign of response. Mark was about to speak again when the youngest of them shook his head and held up a hand in askance of silence.

"Scouring of Block C concluded at 1900 hours, traces of Acetyl Nitrate found among the debris which supports the theory of a poorly made explosive compound. Agents #17, #34 and #9 listed as MIA to be reported upon return to headquarters." There was a level of detachment that they'd never heard in his voice before but tell-tale tear tracks on his cheeks told the story of a firm hold on emotions that would eventually be freed from their carefully constructed prison.

"We've sent in Taeil and Johnny for a final check if the grounds, should there still be any lingering explosives then they're our resident experts so don't worry too much. We won't be leaving until we've recovered our missing agents and/or confirmed their status for ourselves." Yuta assured, leading the trio away from the facilities entrance to where Jeno was still sitting silently against the wall.

"Don't move until all agents have rendezvoused back here or you receive alternate instructions from headquarters." Hansol instructed, turning tail and walking back into the wreckage with Yuta and Taeyong in tow.

Jeno wondered silently if he should have told them about the way Jaemin smiled brightly before he left, reassuring that "Everything I'd gonna be okay, I'll see you soon!" but came to the conclusion that it was his punishment for not being able to keep everyone safe when they were counting on him. 

•

Mission: #00257, 0200 hours

•

Relief, not the overwhelming kind but the serene feeling that maybe one piece had fallen back into place in this skewed jigsaw of pieces that didn't fit together quite right. That's what Jeno felt when Taeil pulled a coughing Jisung through the metallic shutters of their makeshift prison, supporting the blond boy as he leaned heavily against the elder and tried to avoid putting weight on his left leg. The black material of his spec ops jacket was littered with tears and scorch marks and the tightness in his features was a clear indicator that their youngest Special Forces agent was more injured that it appeared on the surface.

That sweeping sense of relief was nothing in comparison to the overwhelming grief that washed over him when the remaining four members of Unit 9495 emerged behind them without Jaemin and Donghyuck. Johnny carried a charred spec ops jacket over one shoulder and Hansol was tugging Yuta along, the Japanese agent looking as though he blamed himself for the unsuccessful retrieval. All of their faces were downcast and that told Jeno everything he needed and simultaneously didn't want to know.

In the early hours of September 15th 2016, Agent #9: Lee Donghyuck and Agent #17: Na Jaemin were officially recorded as MIA and although the optimistic allocation of Missing In Action was stamped next to their names, it was only a matter of time until they were listed as fatalities and nobody was ready for the finality of that future. 

•

Seong-nam: Unspecified time. Mission Classification: B4. Allocated Unit: 9902

•

It's been two years since they went by the name Unit Dream, preferring the much more ambiguous Unit 9902 over the memory of former comrades, not forgotten but compartmentalized to dull the still fresh pain. It's been two years and yet no mission, no matter how dangerous has ever managed to top their first supposed failure in severity of consequences or emotional backlash. 

Their current mission, a recon scout job in an abandoned military base, left the five of them with little to worry about. They'd dealt with far more complex missions with the speed and efficiency that earned them their title as Special Operatives in the first place and the specification had stated low risk with minimal chance of encountering or engaging adversery.

"Close into butterfly formation, we aren't expecting to be intercepted but it doesn't hurt to have eyes on all sides." Mark's instructions were curt and clear and no-one replied as they silently rearranged themselves into the formation that came easily from years of practice. Mark took the lead, comm wired hand steady at his belt whilst Jeno slipped around the others stealthily to bring up the rear, goggles pulled securely over his eyes and slightly crouched to offer maximum visibility and stealth. Renjun stood, nonchalant between the two of them as he checked the safety and catch of his weapon for the third time since arriving. Chenle and Jisung stood at Mark's shoulders, slightly behind and fanned out to the left and right respectively with their masks pulled high to obscure the view of their faces should they run into an enemy. 

Nobody pointed out that the butterfly formation required a minimum of seven agents and they were missing the two lower wing tips (but they all thought it.)

"Chenle, recap the mission spec," Mark asked out of the blue but Chenle didn't look off put by the brisk questioning, instead listing off the required information without giving pause. "Seong-nam dong Armoury, Infiltration and recon with little to no chance of enemy encounter save for petty thieves and squatters. Classification is B4 but allows the risk of a potential rise to at least A2. Not expected to exceed S Class. Units 967 and 9495 on standby in the case of an unexpected variable. Unit 9902 engaging in butterfly formation." 

Mark nodded in response and Jeno pulled back, extending his reach as they neared the entrance of the abandoned armoury. It was mid winter and the snow on the ground made it difficult for them to muffle their footsteps but corrugated metal of the entraceway provided them the anonymity of near silence as they slipped, undetected passed security cameras that were long out of use. 

Immediatly upon exiting the narrow entrancway, Jisung and Chenle fanned back out into their standard positions but froze when a distorted voice rang out in the cavernous room. 

"Stop!" The rough, definitively male voice ordered and the five of them froze in tandem, reaching covertly for their distinctive weapons. "Identify yourselves. Special Forces agents of NCT. State your name- not your alias and your identification number. I know you have weapons concealed on your person but if you're smart then you'll remove your hands from them now." The spew of what should have been sensitive company information had them more on edge than they'd been seconds prior.

It was Jeno who disregarded the order, pulling his pistol from its holster on his thigh and clicking the safety off within one practiced movement. "Make me," he challenged back, voice low to try and throw off recognition.

"Uh uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." A second voice breathed directly into his ear, causing Jeno to snap his neck to left in order to try and get a visual of their new assailaint but his efforts were only met with the cool edge of a blade being pressed against the exposed skin of his neck. 

"Who are you? How do you know classified information?" He inquired quickly, attempting to see if he could reach the 9mm that was concealed in his breast pocket. His efforts were met with a dark chuckle and the heel of a heavy boot coming into contact with his foot with painful force. 

"I do believe we asked questions first. It's impolite to answer a question with a question."  
From the corner of his eye, Jeno saw Mark manouver the others into Scale formation but the movement didn't unnoticed by their hidden assailant either as he fired a warning shot that rebounded off the metal flooring millimeters behind Mark's right shoulder.

"Names." The deeper voice reminded, impatience creeping into his tone.

It was Renjun who spoke up, clearing his throat and stating the desired facts with precision. "Huang Renjun, agent identification code #DRM62. Special Forces Unit 9902." 

The silence that engulfed the large space was deafening in its intensity and it was Jeno's assailant who broke it with a soft, disbelieving whisper that he wouldn't have caught had they not been right next to each other.

"No way... " he muttered, stepping back in shock which allowed Jeno to pivot on his heel and elbow the knife out of the other boy's hand. He was met with no resistance as wide, frightened eyes stared back at him with what might have been the tiniest sliver of hope. 

"Stand down!" The second voice called with renewed urgency, a figure dropping heavily from the rafters but landing with almost no sound. "And the rest of you?" He asked, and it was barely noticeable but his once steady voice wavered slightly.

Jeno, judging that the situation had now turned in their favour and was under control, was the next to speak. 

"Lee Jeno, Agent Identification Code #DRM16. Special Forces Unit 9902, Codename: Dream."

And then he did something that could either go very right or very very wrong. Jeno tested a hypothesis that had been formulating in his head since he first heard the voice, like a itch that he couldn't scratch. 

"And you're Na Jaemin, Agent Identification Code: #MIADRM17, Former Special Forces Agent of Neo Culture Technology." The sharp drawing of breath from his adversary was everything he needed to know but there was still one last thing... 

"My Nana," He finished and Jaemin fell to his knees where he was standing, the knife that had been held tightly in his grip claterring the floor noisely. There was a shuffling sound and Jeno turned to watch as Mark approached the other figure who was still enshrouded by shadow.

"Donghyuck..." He hesitated, stopping mere steps from the other and dropping the hand he'd been holding out as though he just noticed he was doing it. "Is it-- Donghyuck?" He tried again, the uncertainty in his tone unrecognisable to the others as they'd only ever known him as their all-knowing leader.

"It's me," Donghyuck choked in return, stepping forward and extending a hand to wipe away the tear that had unknowingly broken through Mark's professional facade and rolled down his cheek. 

"God, I never thought..." Jisung trailed off, his voice two parts awe and one part sadness. "I never thought you'd make it... From the explosion, I mean... I saw- and then you... You were gone." He was shaking so badly that Chenle had to pull him to the floor to stop him from keeling over. 

"You don't go by Unit Dream anymore?" Jaemin asked, humour and curiosity sneaking into his voice around the tears.

"How could we?" Renjun asked, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"When the Dream shattered the second your names were taken off the roster. We woke up and faced the reality of a tomorrow without light or laughter. Since then, it's only been nightmares."

•

In their time as special forces agents, Unit Dream learnt that you always had to be prepared for a mission to go wrong but they also learned that incorrect information could lead to the discovery of something once lost and that's the lesson they hoped to pass on to the next generation of Spec Ops wannbees.

Their story worked out in the end but every mission was different and a large part of growing had been learning to accept the inevitable but still have faith in the unexpected.

It didn't fail them.

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go with the terms that nobody cares about!:
> 
> MIA: An official military designation standing for Missing In Action. It's used when they think the subject has little chance of return.
> 
> Casualties/Fatalities: Injured and or dead.
> 
> DRM: A shortened pseud for Unit 'Dream'
> 
> Spec Ops: A commonly used nickname for 'Special Operations.'
> 
> Mission Difficulty Rankings:  
> The letter stands for the rank of their adversary, ranging from 'E'which means not dangerous to 'SS' which means flee on site.  
> The number stands for the difficulty of the terrain/environment. For example, if they are in open air and so, highly visible, the difficulty would increase with the risk of capture or sighting.
> 
> Unit Numbers are taken from the members birth years. Unit 9495 is Hansol, Taeil (94 Line), Yuta, Taeyong and Johnny (95 Line). Unit 9902 is Dream (birth years from 1999-2002).
> 
> That's all folks! Feel free to ask anything you don't understand in the comments and I'll get back to you. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always greatly appreciated! ~~
> 
> Find me on Twitter! @HansoldMS_Twt


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